It is no secret that home values nationwide and especially in our area have significantly increased over the past several years. Our community is incredibly fortunate to be so desirable, but with that increase in value comes the dreaded…property taxes! Thankfully, Jarvis Township is also seeing a tremendous amount of GROWTH which helps spread out the tax burden by lowering our overall tax rates. It is important to note that senior citizens who qualify for the Low-Income Senior Citizens Assessment Freeze Homestead Exemption will most likely not see an increase in their tax burden due to the increase in their assessment. In fact, if the overall tax rates do go down, they will see a decrease in their tax burden when their bill arrives.
Madison County will soon be mailing out the Final Notice of Assessment for the year 2023. This opens a 30-day window to file an appeal to the Property Tax Appeal Board (PTAB). The deadline to file an appeal to PTAB this year is April 3, 2024. Your completed appeal must be postmarked by no later than the deadline date and mailed directly to the PTAB address listed on the appeal form. There is also an e-filing option.
The information I am sharing pertains directly to Jarvis Township residents, but in some cases, it may be relevant information for all property owners even if you reside in a different township or county somewhere throughout Illinois. As always, contact your local township or county assessor’s office for the most accurate information.
Multipliers for all townships within Madison County can be found at the following website:
https://www.madisoncountyil.gov/departments/chief_county_assesment_office/township_multipliers.php
WHAT IS EQUALIZATION (THE MULTIPLIER)?
Equalization (Multiplier) is the final step in the assessment process. It is the effort to provide a uniform average level of assessments between townships and/or counties. The equalization factor is determined by the following formula: Legal Level of Assessment divided by the 3-Year Average of the Actual Level of Assessment.
Below is the 2023 calculation.
2020 – 33.81
2021 – 30.39
2022 – 27.87
3 Yr. Avg. = 30.69
Legal Level of 33.33 divided by 3-Year Average = 1.0860
Effectively, the 2023 equalization factor of 1.0860 will be applied to ALL current assessments within Jarvis Township, apart from a few special assessments such as agricultural. This method can in some instances cause overvaluation of certain properties. Therefore, it is important to research comparable sales data to determine if the fair market value assessment of your property is correct and if not file an appeal by the deadline given. If you need help with your comparative analysis, I am happy to provide you with recent sales data or any other assessment-related information you might need that can help you.
Please remember, the full market value/assessment being set on this notice for the year 2023, is based on the previous 3 years of sales data, and will eventually become the tax bill that we receive and is payable in 2024. I fully understand that the assessment process can be confusing. I am always available to answer any questions that you may have.
As your assessor, I will always do my best to evaluate the sales data and put forth accurate assessments. As the ebbs and flows of the real estate market and the process of equalization in the assessment timeline do not run parallel, this can sometimes be a rather difficult task. However, my promise to you is that when communicating with my office you will always be treated professionally and respectfully. We offer a level of customer service that is second to none.
As always, if you have any questions or concerns regarding your property assessment, please do not hesitate to contact my office.
Sincerely,
Jessica Dudley, Assessor
For PTAB Appeal Forms, please visit: http://www.ptab.illinois.gov/